Houston Texas Temple

The Houston Texas Temple is the 97th operating temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). The temple serves over forty-four thousand Latter-day Saints in east Texas, and a few congregations in southwest Louisiana.

History
After the September 1997 announcement that the LDS Church would build a temple in Houston, the search began for an appropriate site. The site chosen formerly belonged to a developer unwilling to sell. Years earlier, however, the developer had gone through difficult financial times and had made a promise to God that if God would help him avoid financial ruin, he would someday "pay God back". When the developer learned what was proposed to be built on his land, he decided to sell the land as his way of paying God back.

The spire of the Houston Texas Temple bears a strong resemblance to that of the old Washington Chapel, a chapel at 2810 16th Street NW in downtown Washington, D.C. built by the LDS Church in 1933. As the most visible symbol of the LDS Church’s presence in the national capital until the dedication of the Washington D.C. Temple in 1974, the Washington Chapel featured a golden figure of an angel blowing a trumpet atop its spire—a symbol typically reserved for temples. In 1977 the Washington Chapel was sold to the Unification Church, 20 years before the Houston Texas Temple was announced.

LDS Church president Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the Houston Texas Temple on August 26, 2000. The temple has a total of 33970 sqft, two ordinance rooms, and two sealing rooms.

In 2017, Hurricane Harvey caused significant flood damage. As a result, although the temple had not been in use since August, the church formally announced its closure for renovations in October 2017. Following completion of the renovations, the temple was rededicated by M. Russell Ballard on April 22, 2018.

In 2020, like all the church's other temples, the Houston Texas Temple was closed in response to the coronavirus pandemic.